Baltic folk tales have absorbed much of the world around them, of course. They seem to smell of dry wood, resin, sea and forest. Many of the characters in the old songs and legends resemble the people of today who live in these parts: the wise fishermen, the skilled craftsmen, the sturdy, brave young men and the gentle, faithful women. The forces of evil in these stories take the form of terrible monsters, catastrophies and disasters which the heroes have to combat and overcome.